Footboard



JOHN C. LITTLE, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO H. G.

PORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DURAN & C0., A. COE- FOOTBOARD.

Application tiled August 9, 1922. Serial No. 580,597.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. LITTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Footboards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to foot-boards.

It will be explained as applied to a run-v ning board for railway cars and the like.

As employed on railway cars the footboard comprises, in general, a wire openmeshed fabric tread and a framework for supporting the fabric above the roof. The woven wire tread, separated from the roof, provides a roughened openwork surface along which brakemen and others may walk with greater safety than when a wooden running board is employed.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved foot-board.

Another object is to provide a foot-board having a woven wire tread.

Another object is to provide an improved support for a foot-board.

Another object is to provide a foot-board having improved means for properly aligning and anchoring adjacent ends of adjoining sections.

Another object is to provide a foot-board which is reliable and relatively inexpensive to apply and maintain.

@ther objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. l is a top plan of two sections of footboard.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

FFig. 3 is a Section on the line 3-3 of ig. 4 is asection approximately on the line 4.--4 of Fig. 3, one of the support saddles being broken away to show the method of anchoring the end of the fabric, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective of one of the bolt-protecting clips.

. The foot-board may be prepared insections of suitabie length to facilitate manufacture, handling and ap lication. The width of the sections may e regulated to meet the various conditions of the required service..

Each foot-board section comprises a substantially rectangular framework composed of two longitudinal side rails l and transverse rails 2 secured together by rivets, welds or other appropriate means. The side rails may be made from angle iron and the transverse rails of rather rigid strap iron. The number and position of the transverse rails will depend somewhat upon the length of the foot-board sections.

The opposite ends of the transverse rails are bent to form supporting terminal legs 3 and feet 4. The mid-section of each transverse rail 2 may be bent into,substantially U shape to. form center transverse supporting legs 5 and an interconnecting foot 6. The transverse rails with their terminal and central supporting legs and feetform saddles for anchoring the foot-board in and supporting the tread suspended the roof.

The tread comprises a wire open-,mesh fabric 7. The fabric may be made by weaving wire strands together after the manner of preparing wire fencing. The mesh should be so small that even the heel of Aa mans shoe will not become wedged therein. Various shapes of wire may be used but it is believed that shapes other than of circular cross-section are to be preferred. For example, if wires of rectangular cross section are used they may be woven or joined together in such a way as to present an angle rather than a flat or curve at the tread surface. This condition is vespecially desirable at the joints where the wire strands twist about each other or come together, as slight, relatively sharp projections will occur at the joints. The fabric will thus be caused to present a relatively rough nonslipping tread to the feet of the person walking thereon. If desired the wire strands may be welded, brazed or otherwise securely fastened together at the joints in the fabr1c. 4

The longitudinal edges of the wire fabric are bent over one of the webs or rails 1, as most clearly shown in Fi'g. 3. In a similar manner the ends of the fabric may be bent. over the transverse' rails 2 as most clearl shown in Fi 4. The permanent set of the wire ordinarily will be sucient to hold the fabric properly stretched over the mewcrk and support the usual lds to be borne.

place above If additional anchorage is necessary the fabric may be riveted, bolted or otherwise secured to thefraniework.

Adjacent ends of adjoining foot-board sections may be jointly anchored'to the car roof or other support by means of strrups 8. These stirrups have a substantially U-shaped centra-l portion and oppositely projecting flanges. The .central foot 6 of a saddle may be securely fastened to the proper flange of a stirrup by a bolt 9. Each stirrup 8 may be anchored to the roof by a bolt 10 passing n through the car roof ridge. A small metal clip l1 may be interposed between feet 6 and the stirrup and bridge the channel between the stirrup'anges to cover the head of bolt 10.l The clip may have depending aprons or ears 12 onopposite sides to close the sides of the channel about the head of bolt 10. The holding or anchoring boltsare thus protected against the collection and retention of moisture in the stirrup channels.

Ordinarily, for railway car service, it is sufficient and the better practice to secure the fabric supporting framework only by the tend to break the same loosefvand clear the foot-board. vThe projecting joints -in the fabric provide a roughened tread which inl yHaving described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let- 4 ters Patent, is

1. A foot-board comprising a plurality of sections each section having a framework, and an open mesh metal fabric tread secured thereto; `and a support for jointly supporting adjaeent ends of adjoining sections.

2. A foot-board *having framework sections, each composed of longitudinal side rails, and transverse saddles, the saddles having legs to engage a roof; an open imesh metal fabric stretched across each section and secured thereto to form a tread; and a stirrup for attachment to a roof and to which the adjacent saddles of adjoining sections may be anchored. 1

3. A foot-board having a pair of sections, each comprising a pair of siderails, a pair of transverse saddles each having two end and one intermediate legs, and a wire open mesh metal fabric bridging the rails and saddles to form a tread; a stirrup for attachment to a roof and the intermediate legs of adjacent saddles of adjoining sections; and a clip to proect the attachment of a stirrup with the roo In testimony wh :reof I hereunto subscribed my name.

JOHN C. LITTLE. 

